#2- Instead of Scaring Them, Make the Experience Rewarding
Ok so now, you aren’t using Q-tips any more and your dog isn’t running and hiding from you, so now what? You have to create a situation that introduces a positive association with getting their ears cleaned. This is because dogs associate emotion with new experiences. If you have already tried cleaning Fido’s ears and had a bad experience, than you need to introduce treats.
This is also a simple, effective and common technique used in dog training to elicit the desired response. Once they associate a gentle ear cleaning with a treat, they will sit calmly until you are done and wait in anticipation of their favorite snack. A great way to do this is to give Fido treats at each step of the ear cleaning process:
- When the cleaning supplies are assembled and you have fido next to you
- Upon touching their ears before starting the cleaning and
- when they are comfortable with the gentle cleaning, pause and give them more treats through the cleaning process.
- If they appear unconformable then stop and give them another treat.
Please ensure that your dog is not fighting to get away. If that the case, stop, give fido a treat and let them go. You can always try later because you do not want them forming negative emotions with this experience. The key is to make sure that they are comfortable and enjoying the treats otherwise the struggle with you BFF won’t be pleasant for anyone.